Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has admitted that he believes that Michael Duff will do a remarkable job at Barnsley next season and has tipped the club to secure an immediate return to the Championship.
The Tykes opted to hand over the reins to Duff earlier this month following an extensive search for a new head coach.
The 44-year-old has already made some alterations to his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
As well as sanctioning Cauley Woodrow's departure, Duff has also signed three players.
Jamie Searle, Luca Connell and Robbie Cundy are all set to feature for Barnsley next season after sealing permanent moves to the club.
Having experienced a dismal season in the Championship which culminated in relegation earlier this year, the Tykes will be determined to bring a feel-good back to Oakwell when the new term gets underway.
Barnsley will head to Home Park on July 30th to face Plymouth Argyle on the opening weekend of the season.
Making reference to the Tykes, Hendrie has predicted that the club will secure promotion to the second-tier next season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hendrie said: "I do feel like Michael Duff will do a remarkable job at Barnsley.
"I'm such a big fan of what he did at Cheltenham and his progression there.
"To see him step up to League One and take on Barnsley, I do feel he'll do a great job there."
Hendrie later added: "I'd have Barnsley as one of my favourites to get promoted."
The Verdict
When you consider that Duff led Cheltenham to promotion from the fourth-tier last year and then guided the club to a respectable 15th place finish in the League One standings, there is no reason why he cannot go on to achieve a great deal of success at Barnsley.
In order to become legitimate contenders for promotion, the Tykes will need to bolster their options up front ahead of the new campaign.
No longer able to call upon the services of Woodrow who scored 53 goals for the club during his time at Oakwell, Barnsley cannot afford to get their recruitment wrong when it comes to this particular position.
Providing that Duff is able to draft in some classy operators in the coming weeks, the Tykes could potentially hit the ground running in the third-tier.